Author’s Mystery Novels Win Book Awards

Livermore, Calif., July 18, 2023: ?Two of author John G. Bluck’s Luke Ryder mystery/thrillers recently won book awards. The Public Safety Writers Association honored “Murder at NASA” and “Mayhem at Sea.” Rough Edges Press will publish the two novels on July 25 and Aug. 15, respectively.

"We are absolutely thrilled to have the privilege of showcasing John G. Bluck’s literary talent," said Rachel Del Grosso, managing editor at Rough Edges Press. "His unique storytelling in the Luke Ryder series effortlessly weaves together suspense, mystery and intricate character development, keeping readers on the edge of their seats."

“I’m honored that PSWA has presented me with two book awards,” Bluck said. “I was truly surprised and delighted with the recognition I received.” Bluck recently signed a seven-year literary contract with Wolfpack Publishing doing business as Rough Edges Press.

In “Murder at NASA,” Ryder, a Kentucky deputy sheriff, goes undercover at NASA to look into the death of Scarlet Hauk, who’d been in charge of the wind tunnel testing of a secret space plane model. This novel is the second volume in the Luke Ryder trilogy.

“Mayhem at Sea,” the third book of the series, is the tale of how vacationing Luke Ryder deals with pirates who hijack an Alaska-bound cruise ship. Books two and three of the series are available for preorder from major online booksellers.

Earlier, on July 4, Rough Edges Press released the first book of the three-book series, “Death in the Holler.” It tells the story of how Luke Ryder investigates a man’s murder on a farm’s food plot. Rough Edges Press republished this novel with a new cover.

"‘Death in the Holler’. . . ?follows the professional and personal life of Game Warden Luke Ryder, a mid-life law enforcement agent with a drinking problem and a supervisor who is gunning for him. Luke's intuitive detective work is spot on, and he uses the same ingenuity of today's best real-life detectives and investigators,” according to retired FBI agent R. Scott Decker, author of “Recounting the Anthrax Attacks.”

Bluck and his wife, Sheryl, are residents of Livermore, Calif. Bluck retired from NASA after thirty years of service. Prior to that, he was an engineer at ABC radio network, and he also filmed daytime crime in Washington, D.C., for WMAL-TV (now WJLA-TV). Earlier, during the Vietnam War, he served in the Army as a journalist at Ft. Lewis, Washington.

Founded in 2013, Wolfpack Publishing (https://www.wolfpackpublishing.com) is an award-winning independent publishing company based in Las Vegas, Nev. Wolfpack was named as one of the fastest-growing independent publishers of 2022 by Publisher’s Weekly magazine and one of Inc. Magazine’s fast-growing private companies in 2021 and 2022.

According to the PSWA’s website, the organization is an association of writers that supports people involved in creating content about public safety. Its members include individuals with public safety careers who write stories, poetry or non-fiction about their careers. Members also include mystery, thriller, and other writers who write about public safety characters and situations. In addition, publishers and editors are PSWA members, too. Visit https://policewriter.com/ for details about PSWA.

For more information about Bluck, visit his website: https://www.bluckart.com and his Rough Edges Press webpage, https://roughedgespress.com/project/john-g-bluck/. Readers can subscribe to Bluck’s e-mail list at https://eepurl.com/cJh_pP.